A former US taxpayer and German citizen has pleaded guilty to wire and tax fraud, money laundering and false statements among other charges.
Harald von der Goltz was charged alongside three other individuals, who were all connected to global law firm Mossack Fonseca, the company at the centre of the Panama Papers scandal.
In December 2019, the Southern District of New York charged the four men with conspiracy to commit tax evasion, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
Two of them faced additional charges of conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Von der Goltz pleaded guilty on 18 February 2020.
Concealed wealth
“Over nearly two decades, von der Goltz conspired to keep his income hidden from US tax authorities and law enforcement,” said assistant attorney general Brian Benczkowski of the justice department’s criminal division.
“[His] guilty plea demonstrates the department’s steadfast commitment to prosecute taxpayers who use offshore structures to obscure their wealth and evade their tax obligations.”
US attorney Geoffrey Berman, of the Southern District of New York, said: “Harald Joachim von der Goltz went to extraordinary lengths to circumvent US tax laws in order to maintain his wealth and hide it from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“Using the specialised criminal services of global law firm Mossack Fonseca, von der Goltz set up shell companies and offshore accounts to conceal millions of dollars.
“Now, after years of concealment from the United States, von der Goltz has admitted guilt in a US court, and awaits sentencing that could result in a term in a US prison.”
He is set to be sentenced on 24 February 2020.
One of the other four charged, Richard Gaffey, will go on trial on 9 March 2020.
